Health officers instructed to initiate monsoon preparedness efforts in T.N.

Health officers instructed to initiate monsoon preparedness efforts in T.N.

In view of the Southwest monsoon, the Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine has instructed all health officers to take up measures to keep healthcare teams and facilities prepared for the season.

Issuing instructions to all District Health Officers, City Health Officers, and Municipal Health Officers, T.S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health, said that an adequate number of health personnel should be available round the clock when cyclone/heavy rains are forecast. They must ensure the presence of Rapid Response Teams, consisting of medical officers, staff nurses, village health nurses, and health inspectors, with essential medicines for flood-prone, high risk/vulnerable low-lying areas, as well as medical teams in all cyclone rescue shelters. Ambulance services with sufficient stock of fuel should be present at high risk/vulnerable areas.

At the hospital-level, a well-defined mass-casualty triage protocol should be in place. The availability and supply of emergency medicines, intravenous fluids, vaccines, and beds in hospitals must be ensured. Adequate surge capacity in terms of manpower and medicines to meet the increased demand for clinical care should also be ensured. There should be 24x7 electricity supply in hospitals by having backup generators with adequate fuel.

For hospitals in low-lying areas, the health officers should take measures to ensure that medicines and supplies are kept in elevated places. Pregnant women, who are nearing their delivery dates, in flood-prone areas should be identified and admitted in nearby centres prior to the occurrence of the event.

The health officers were also instructed to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation in relief centres.

Last week, Health Secretary P. Senthilkumar had issued instructions to officials to check and alert all hospitals, including private facilities, for preparedness to prevent incidents arising out of power outages, break in the supply of oxygen, fault in life-saving and critical equipment such as ventilators, and availability of essential drugs, anti-snake venom, and anti-rabies vaccines. They should coordinate with electricity board authorities to ensure uninterrupted power supply for medical institutions, particularly for the intensive care units, critical care units, neonatal intensive care units, operation theatres, and cold chain equipment.

As part of the preparedness, boats should be pre-positioned at hospitals in low-lying areas. Some hospitals, such as Rasipuram Government Hospital (GH), Tambaram GH, and a few primary health centres, face perennial inundation during heavy rains. Action should be initiated to prevent waterlogging in hospitals located in low-lying areas.